1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to wireless communications device messaging and more particularly, to silent messaging with wireless communication devices.
2. Background Description
Public wireless communications devices such as cellular or cell phones are commonplace. Cell phone ownership may soon be as commonplace as wristwatch ownership. Notoriously, when cell phones were first becoming popular, a mistimed cell phone ringing at an inopportune moment quickly became a common source of irritation, e.g., “someone's cell phone started ringing right in the middle of Hamlet's soliloquy!” Placing the phone in vibration mode solved this problem. However, even with a phone in vibration mode, answering the call can cause even greater consternation. As a result, cell phone etiquette is a common topic of discussion. A quick internet search identifies upwards of 1600 sites dealing with cell phones etiquette, www.cell-phone-etiquette.com.
Unfortunately, when someone receives a cell phone call at an inopportune time or an inopportune location, he/she must decide whether to answer the call or, let the call go unanswered, possibly to be answered by voice mail. If he/she decides to answer the call, there is a risk of interrupting or irritating everyone in the immediate vicinity. While to some, this clearly does not present a problem, taking a call in the middle of an important business meeting might jeopardize the call taker's career, standing with his/her employer or kill an important sale that had been a “done deal.”
Skipping the call and trying to contact the caller at a better time and location can be equally troublesome. Some calls just can't be left to voicemail. After all, no one wants to retrieve a two hour old voice mail message that says “your mother's in the hospital. I'm calling from a pay phone and I'll call when I get a chance!” Such a message only begs questions with no immediate answers that could have and would been avoided with a few timely short questions. Often, even important calls can be handled quickly with just a few words. Even those calls that can't, often could be rescheduled more efficiently with short exchange of a few words.
Thus, there is a need for a discrete way to handle incoming cell phone calls without missing the calls and without disturbing others in the immediate vicinity.